There's a Magic Spell in Smiles
by Wingless Night
Summary: COMPLETED! It's been five years since Naruto and gang failed at bringing back Sasuke, but Naruto never gave up on the Uchiha. Now, when Sound is readying its war on Leaf, will Naruto finally get his wish of Sasuke back? SasuNaru
1. Whisper to the Night

_Hi minna-san! This is Kyuubi-kun with another story. I thought long and hard about this. You see, its something that I always wanted to do with one of my friends. He and I used to be really close and then something happened. We're not close anymore. In a way, this reminds me of Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto being me, and Sasuke being my friend Eric. Ever since we separated, I've been semi-lonely, always wanting to follow him. But I'm unable to. Naruto, however, is able to do something of that nature. He, Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji and Chouji were able to follow Sasuke – they were able to see the end of that road. _

_I have never been able to do that with Eric. All I've thought about, when dealing with Eric, for the past year or so (as we split three years ago), is starting over. Walking over to each other and saying "Hi, my name is , Nice to meet you." We are two different people from who we once were so being able to continue from where we left off is impossible. The only chance we have for any type of friendship is to start over. _

_This is set five years in the future. I hope you all will enjoy it. It is the first of hopefully several that are based from my own experience, rather than my imagination. I cannot guarantee that it will be good. However, I hope you all will understand that I believe this in advance and understand where it comes from. _

_Thank you. _

_Kyuubi-kun _

_Warnings: shonen ai (SasuNaru), language, OCC_

**There's AMagic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 01: Whisper to the Night  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

Five long years had come and gone since the team lead by Nara Shikamaru sent out to recover one Uchiha Sasuke had failed in their mission. Uzumaki Naruto, a blonde shinobi now the age of seventeen, looked around the peaceful village. Ever since he had been promoted to Anbu at the age of fifteen, he had rarely found himself in Konoha. He had always been out searching for Uchiha Sasuke, hoping to find a trace of his long lost friend.

Being back here brought too many memories to the boy. It was more than he could handle most of the time. It was more than he could really take. Presently, he sat on top of the Hokage's Mountain. He wore his Anbu outfit, and unlike most Anbu – he was wearing his Kitsune mask even though he was off-duty. He had a team – but he rarely was with them. Instead of working with his colleagues, he would often accept missions and go off alone.

It was not the style of a Leaf shinobi, but Naruto didn't care. When he first started looking for Sasuke, he could fool himself that he was searching because of a promise he had made with Haruno Sakura when he was twelve.

That was no longer his reason. Even Sakura-chan was asking him to give up and let the Uchiha stay dead to them.

Naruto couldn't give up. He couldn't be the one that had left Sasuke behind. Sasuke was the first friend he had ever had – the first person his age who didn't see a monster or a prankster. Sure, the nicknames were 'dobe' and 'idiot,' but that wasn't the true feelings behind those names. Naruto knew.

Naruto believed.

He could be considered a child for keeping his faith that Sasuke would be able to return to Konoha after all these years, but Naruto was known for his stubbornness. That had always been one of his finer points. Now he was using that character trait.

After all, Sasuke had been more than a friend or a brother to Naruto. Sasuke had been his Everything. He had loved Sasuke in a way that no one would accept. He loved him in a way that Sasuke had said… had said he loved him.

Obviously, that wasn't true. Sasuke had shown that to his 'love' by leaving.

Naruto could remember that day well – how could he forget it?

_It was a warm day when Naruto awoke. He looked out the window and smiled. Today, Sasuke, Sakura and him would be training with Kakashi. Sure even though, he made it seem as though he lived for missions, he thoroughly enjoyed his training sessions with Sasuke. _

_He was never paired with Sakura. It was always Naruto versus Sasuke. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure whether he could trust the boys not to accidentally slaughter the female. Sasuke was there when Naruto showed up. It was always just the two of them waiting at the bridge for about an hour before Sakura showed up. _

_Sasuke seemed to be a bit different than normal, but Naruto didn't know what was wrong. He kept staring at Naruto, making the blonde shift uncomfortably. Finally, the blonde glowered at the Uchiha. _

_"Dammit, Sasuke!" he growled. "Stop staring at me!"_

_Sasuke merely smirked his answer before speaking. "No."_

_"Why are you staring at me, then?" Naruto shot at his friend. "That's the least I deserve."_

_Sasuke's voice seemed to have caught in his throat. Tell Naruto why he was always staring at the boy? Well, that would be insane. _

_His body didn't listen to his doubts as he felt himself pushing off the railing of the bridge and walking over to Naruto. He loomed over the shorter boy, the shadows dancing across his face making Naruto's lip tremble ever so slightly. _

_Naruto didn't know why he felt a sudden chill run through him or why his heart was beating so quickly. Slowly, as though it seemed like an eternity, the Uchiha leaned over and captured the blonde's lips with his. _

_Naruto didn't know how to react. His first thought was 'what the hell is happening?' but that didn't last long as he let his eyes slide shut and responded to the kiss. It was like heaven for him. How long had he wanted to do this? He had always really had a secret crush on Sasuke – at least, ever since the beginning of the Chuunin exams, after the mission with Zabuza and Haku. But he never dreamed that Sasuke could harbor the same emotions for him. He never thought that Sasuke would do this. _

_After a few still moments, the two broke apart. Naruto was breathing rapidly, his cheeks flushed slightly as he stared at Sasuke. Sasuke searched the cerulean blue eyes for any sign of rejection. _

_It wasn't there. _

_"I'm staring at you because I love you," Sasuke whispered in his ear. _

_Naruto's eyes widened as he felt a feeling of peace… of contentment wash over him. _

_"I love you, too," he murmured, nuzzling Sasuke's neck. _

_Sasuke looked down at the blonde kindly. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, for Sasuke had just figured out a problem that had been bothering him for a while. The answer was not as he wished it could be. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's frame, holding Naruto close to him. They stood like that for a long time. The only thing that brought them out of their trance was Sakura coming nearly an hour later. _

Naruto shook his head, wondering why these thoughts were plaguing him. After all, he hadn't thought about that day in ages – that day before hell broke loose. The day that Sasuke told him that he loved him and Naruto had answered had been the day before their fight on the roof. Sasuke had left Konoha by the third day.

Naruto's fist came in contact with the ground as he stood up. He knew why he wore his mask – even though no one else did. He knew that he couldn't keep up his invisible mask any longer, so he had to wear an actual mask. The Anbu one happened to be the only one he owned.

Breathing deeply, Naruto stared down at the village once more. The atmosphere, the smell and the feel of the village were too much for the young Anbu. He needed to get away again – he just had to get away. Racing as quickly as he could to where Tsunade was, Naruto burst into her office without any formal introduction.

"Old hag!" he growled.

"Dammit, Naruto – the least you could do is knock," Tsunade snapped back. She pointed to his face. "Take that damn mask off _now_, brat."

Naruto knew that Tsunade would not let him go if he didn't take his mask off. Slowly, he undid the ties and removed it from his face. He had grown. No more was his face round with baby fat. It was sleek and showed many hardships. The scars were still there, as were the deep blue eyes. Blonde spikes hung over his forehead as he looked at the Hokage. She was the only person who had seen his face as it was – without a mask.

Naruto didn't visit anyone else on these short trips home.

"I'm leaving again," he told her when she stared at him, silently asking him what he had bashed into her office for.

"No," she responded.

Naruto looked stunned. That was the first time since he had become Anbu that she had given him that answer.

"What?" he shouted. His hand slammed onto the table as he glowered at the older woman. "What the fuck do you mean 'no,' you old hag?"

Tsunade stood, glaring at Naruto just as fiercely. "You have duties to attend to here, Naruto. I cannot let you go after Sasuke again!"

"But…"

"Give up on Sasuke, Naruto – he's not coming back!" Seeing the astonished look in his eyes, Tsunade allowed her features to soften as she stared at the blonde, her anger sapping out of her. "I'm sorry Naruto. I can't allow you to go on this mission any longer. Uchiha Sasuke has been gone for five years. He will not return, no matter how much you try to seek him out."

Naruto stumbled back at the words. Could Tsunade be right? Was Sasuke really not coming back?

Was Naruto going to have to give up on the one person he had swore not to give up on?

Tsunade had joined him on his side of the desk, looking at the battle of emotions in the boy's eyes. Naruto had never been able to hide his eyes, like Sasuke and Jiraiya had. Naruto remained an open book – but he was still a strong shinobi. He was strong about everything he had come across.

Everything but Sasuke.

Tsunade stared at her 'little brother' as she liked to believe he was. Although he wasn't her sibling by blood, she cared for him as though he were.

"Your team needs you, as does Konoha," Tsunade began again, leaning against her desk. "Besides, you might be able to see the Uchiha sooner than you think."

Naruto's head jerked up at her, staring at her with a puzzled expression. She grimaced.

"Latest news from our spies. Orochimaru's planning to attack," she told the boy.

A spark of hope passed through those sky-blue eyes.

Hope that he would be able to see Sasuke again.

"Fine, old hag, when's his army scheduled to be here," Naruto asked.

"Two months at the latest. You and your team are going to be key players in this mission. You will find out tonight at the meeting I have called between the Anbu captains."

Naruto smirked as he retied the mask around his face. "Do what you want old hag with the rest of the Anbu, just warn them about one thing," he said as he lowered his hands, having finished tying the knot.

"Oh?" Tsunade wanted to know. She smirked, raising an eyebrow, though she already knew what Naruto was going to say.

"None of them are allowed to touch Uchiha Sasuke," he growled, his tone low and dangerous. "He's mine."

Tsunade just watched, bemused as Naruto allowed a swirl of leaves and wind to surround him through the window as he disappeared.

The Hokage stared at the spot Naruto had been, a slight frown on her features. She felt another presence in the room – one she knew well.

"What happened between those two?" she asked aloud, not even acknowledging the presence.

"I wish I knew, Hokage-sama," Hatake Kakashi murmured as his only showing eye looked out after Naruto. "I wish I knew."

"Don't we all?" she asked. "Keep following him, Kakashi-san. I fear he may do something incredibly stupid. It _is_ Naruto we're talking about, after all."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi agreed before making his way after Naruto.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_There's the first chapter. This fic is 8 chapters long, and I'll be updating on a weekly basis. Please be honest when you review. I don't care for flames, as long as their constructive. If you have anything against this story becuse of Sasuke and Naruto deciding to love each other, then please... FUCK OFF... I'm not happy when people yell at me for writing homosexual fics. _

_Guess what, dumbasses? I'M GAY! So buggar off... whoosh. Sorry, I'm a little angry about a gay marriage argument that we had in my politics class this morning. One of the girls said that all gay people should go to hell... it still hasn't worn off. So what if I take those things personally... I have every right to. I'm gay... ((pouts))_

_Anyways, review please. Don't mind my randomness. i hope this fic is good and it makes sense. _


	2. Something Out of Sight

_Wow, I didn't think I'd get 38 reviews so soon. Thank you everyone who supported my anger against the bitch who told all gay people to go to hell. I'm not bent out of shape about it anymore, and because all of you are so nice and loving, I'm giving you chapter two a week early. Yeah, I meant to post this next week, but I decided against it… wheeee… anyways, thanks to everyone._

**The Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 02: Something out of Sight  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

Naruto had run until he found a small forest clearing – which bothered him slightly. This was one of the places that he and Sasuke used to train, even before their strange confession. It had so many memories of two teenage boys – known to the village as the genin Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke – laughing, fighting, and staying together to watch the moon and stars.

Naruto felt as though he couldn't enter it, so he stopped on the outreaches of it. He didn't need to really think about it to know that Kakashi was following him. The man had done this for the past couple of weeks. Naruto guessed it was on the Hokage's orders.

There was nothing Naruto wanted more than to be able to go into this field and back into a time when he was innocent – or as innocent as an orphan can be. Back before Sasuke had left or Sakura had deemed him insane. Back before the war with Sound or his promotion to captain of an Anbu team.

Before anything and everything…

Naruto wanted to go back to the beginning. He could remember the beginning – way back before the Uchiha Massacre and the Ninja Academy. The real beginning had been in a playground many years ago.

_A young boy, not older than five, looked around him. He was confused, unable to comprehend why no one wanted to play with him. He felt sad as he sat on the old tire swing that no one would come near. He somehow knew it was just because he was there all the time. The tire swing was the only place where he could escape the insults. _

_But he never had anyone to push him, so he just sat there. The only movement was made from the wind blowing softly across the town, making the old tire sway gently. _

_Sunshine golden blonde hair topped the child's head as he looked around. Why didn't anyone like him? Was it because he had no parents? Was it because he didn't have anywhere to go? He didn't have anywhere to return to. No one wanted to take him into their home for a night, or maybe more. The Hokage had yet to be notified that the caretaker had made Naruto run away by trying to kill him when he was drunk. _

_No one thought it was very important to tell Sandaime that the boy was no longer at the caretaker's house. _

_After all, he was a monster. _

_Naruto didn't really know what a monster was – but he knew he was one. How, one might ask? He had never been called by his real name. He only knew his real name because of Sandaime – who was actually the only person who addressed him by Naruto. _

_Everyone else called him 'monster.' _

_At first Naruto was pleased. He had heard a tall boy once tell his little sister 'come on, monster.' The sister had gotten angry and she ran at her brother. He laughed and swung her into his arms in a bear hug. _

_So Naruto thought that 'Monster' was an affectionate thing. Something like 'honey' or 'sweetheart.' _

_But now he knew better. He knew what Monster really meant. He didn't know why everyone called him that, but it hurt each time. _

_He was grimy and dirty and looked like a stray kitten. _

_He even had the whiskers. _

_But he was the stray that nobody wanted. _

_It had been nearly a month since his caretaker had come after him with the knife. Naruto's clothes would probably forever be stained with blood from where the knife had cut into him, slashing across his chest and stomach. The wounds had long since healed but the blood remained. _

_Naruto was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice someone coming near him. It was another child. "Hello," the boy said. _

_Naruto looked around him wildly before shyly pointing to himself and whispering, "Are you talking to me?" His eyes were wide and innocent. The other child smiled at him. _

_"There isn't anyone else here, dobe," he said. _

_"I-I'm not a dobe!" Naruto stammered. He got a closer look at the other boy. _

_The child's hair was a midnight blue, bordering on black. Black eyes showed kindness to him and he had the palest skin that Naruto had ever seen. It was almost completely clean of dirt – which the Uzumaki found remarkable. _

_Naruto climbed off the tire-swing so that the two toddlers were standing on eye level. Well, almost eye level. The other was a few scant inches taller than Naruto. _

_"What's your name?" the other asked. _

_Naruto looked down as his feet. "Monster," he murmured softly, a frown on his face. He felt tears prickle behind his eyes. _

_"Your name is 'monster'?" the other asked, puzzled. "That's a strange name."_

_"It's what everyone calls me."_

_"I don't know why they do that… they must be meanies. If they're meanies, I'll protect you!" the boy vowed. _

_"I… I don't know you're name," Naruto stammered. He had never had a conversation go on for this long. It pleased him as well as scared him._

_"Uchiha Sasuke!" the boy proclaimed proudly. "I'm going to be a ninja, like my big brother soon!"_

_Naruto smiled and Sasuke smiled back. The Uchiha took Naruto's hand in his own and stared at the other boy. "You should smile more often," he said. _

_"Really?" Naruto asked. "Bad things happen and when they do, only a fool can smile." He had read that passage in a children's book and for some reason, he had remembered it._

_Sasuke looked at him, before dragging the blonde over to where they could sit down under a large oak tree. "Didn't you know?" he asked, looking through the leaves at the sky above. _

_"Know what?" Naruto replied, curious as to what this Sasuke was getting at. _

_"There's a magic spell in smiles."_

_"Magic… spell?" Naruto echoed questioningly. He was officially confused. _

_Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Yep! Whenever you smile, you can face the world and no one can hurt you! Whenever you smile – you can feel better about anything."_

_Sasuke made smiling look so easy, as though everyone could do it. He seemed so happy, young and innocent… as though nothing could make him wipe that childlike grin off his face._

_So Naruto had decided right then – that he would smile more often. That he would show the world that no one could get him down in the dumps. He would show the world that he wasn't a monster. _

Naruto sighed softly, looking at the empty clearing. He couldn't walk there. That place… that time period where they had been friends didn't exist anymore. No matter how much he wished for it, wanted it, looked for it and fought for it – it was gone. There was nothing that could bring it back to him.

He knew that.

He had known that for years.

The days had passed quickly while he and Sasuke had trained together, or hung out together. Sasuke was responsible for making Naruto smile, even when he was a small child. Sasuke hadn't even known about his real name – he just knew that he wasn't a monster.

A mere toddler had done what hundreds of people could not. A mere toddler had shown the holder of Kyuubi the way that life could be.

And then that toddler had to break his innocent dream because of the older brother he adored.

_Life is one ironic ride_, Naruto thought to himself as he turned from the clearing. He could not bear to look at the ghosts that still haunted that clearing. He could not do anything to battle them. He was completely powerless in this situation. No matter what he said or did – he knew that Sasuke wasn't going to come home. Even though he could act hopeful in front of the world, deep inside, his mind believed that the only thing he had been chasing was an illusion of a past lost in time.

For the first time since he was five, Naruto felt what it was like to be truly hopeless.

Realizing that his thoughts were doing more harm than good, Naruto finally decided to call his shadow down from the tree branch ten feet behind him.

"Get your ass down here, Kakashi," he growled out.

It wasn't long before the silver-haired jounin made his appearance at Naruto's side.

"How long have you known?" his ex-teacher asked as they walked along. Kakashi had to be the one person who didn't make a big deal about Naruto's habit of wearing a mask under any and all circumstances. Maybe it was because of Kakashi's mask – in which you could only see one-fourth of his face. Still, Naruto was grateful for his ex-teacher's silence.

"Since you began following me three and a half weeks ago," was the blonde's response.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his eye curving up in what Naruto knew was an embarrassed grin. He couldn't help but smile at the older man. Kakashi hadn't changed much. That had always been a reason why Naruto liked hanging out with the man.

Kakashi was the one person in the village who hadn't changed. Tsunade had changed. Sakura had changed. Iruka had changed. Hell, even Konohamaru had changed.

But Kakashi had stayed the same.

"Ma, ma, it was orders," Kakashi said.

"You don't need to make excuses, Kakashi. I already know Tsunade-baasan told you too."

Kakashi grinned at the blonde's nickname for their Hokage. He was the only person who treated her with disrespect – save for Jiraiya – and got away without punishment, unless punishment was the countless bruises from her punches. But she was most casual around him and Jiraiya. Kakashi knew that.

"Well, so, why didn't you step into the clearing?" Kakashi asked. "You stood there for about a half an hour, not doing anything and then you turned your back on it." He paused before adding, "It's not like you."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Call it a teacher's concern."

"You're not my teacher."

"But I was."

"And?"

"Tell me!"

"No."

Kakashi stared at Naruto, a bored look in his eye. Naruto felt his spine tingle. Whenever that look came to Kakashi's eye, it meant that he was confident about what he believed the situation to be.

Kakashi stopped walking. Naruto walked about a foot before realizing his former teacher wasn't beside him.

"So it _was_ about Sasuke."

Naruto felt ice water wash over him at the name. No one had really spoken Sasuke's name besides him and Tsunade. Not even Kakashi. It was strange hearing that name again from someone else.

But the way that Kakashi had spoken made it seem as though he knew something that Naruto didn't. It was an icy tone, though only those who knew Kakashi really well could pick it up. Luckily, Naruto was one of those people.

Naruto removed his mask, staring at Kakashi coldly. "What makes you think it was anything like that?" he growled in a low voice.

He had never wanted to come to this conversation with Kakashi – who had always been angry that _he_ couldn't have the chance to just pack up and leave in search of the Uchiha. Unfortunately, things kept him here all of these years. He regretted not going though. Naruto knew that.

"Your reaction to my words," Kakashi answered softly.

Naruto's voice caught in his throat as he realized what the man said. With a heavy sigh, he leaned against the nearest tree, sliding down it to sit on the ground. His mask lay in the dirt beside him and for once he didn't care.

Kakashi took a seat at the tree across from Naruto's, to give the blonde his space.

"I've always wanted to ask you this," the jounin said. Naruto stiffened. He knew what the question would be. It was something he had been dreading for years. "What exactly was Sasuke to you?"

Yes, Naruto had been right. It _was_ the question that he hoped never to answer.

"Sasuke was everything to me," Naruto whispered. His voice was soft, childlike and hesitant. He didn't meet Kakashi's eyes when he spoke. He felt ashamed, sadly. "I loved him. I loved him more than anything. He was the person in my life who had always been there. Not many people know… know when I first met Uchiha Sasuke. It wasn't at the academy."

"When was it?" came Kakashi's voice. He felt his heart ache, just hearing the tone of his former student's voice. The blonde's voice was soft and slow. The childlike tone of the voice didn't match the current body of the teenager at all. Kakashi's eye looked at Naruto, recalling when Naruto sounded like this all the time instead of just when he felt completely vulnerable. He listened to Naruto closely, as he saw the boy was about to reveal something that almost all who knew him had wanted to learn for five long years.

"We were five. It was during the three months I lived on my own, on the streets. My caretaker had tried to stab me with a knife, so I left. I ran away. When I met Sasuke – I was at the tire swing in the park. The one they recently tore down. He asked me my name. I told him it was 'monster'. Everyone called me that, so I was more used to hearing that than 'Naruto.' Sad, huh?" He tried to smile now, but found he couldn't. "Sasuke told me that there's a magic spell in smiles. I believed him." He paused, a sad smile finally making a place on his lips. His eyes were soft and kind, not at all like they had been for many years.

Kakashi thought he saw the twelve-year-old boy he had taught shine through the seventeen-year old body in front of him.

"Sasuke's the reason I even made it to the Ninja Academy – he's the reason I ever wanted to be a ninja. I didn't have the dream of Hokage until I was about eight. I wanted to be a ninja when I met Sasuke, though – just for the chance that I would see him again."

He laughed a little, but Kakashi wasn't fooled. He knew the sound of that laugh – a laugh one only makes when one is close to crying. It's a defense that makes the tears go away, but when the tears are adamant – they will always fall.

Just like Naruto's were right now.

"How…? I haven't cried… since the day… that Sasuke left," he murmured to himself. "How… can this be? I… I thought I was strong."

Kakashi stared at Naruto as he watched the crystal tears flow down the boy's cheeks, making the blue of his eyes shine in each tiny drop. When the sunlight filtered through the leaves and touched one drop with its light, the effect was blinding.

Kakashi didn't know what to do. It had been a long time since he had comforted someone – even though he had been a surrogate father to Naruto and Sasuke, he still had never seen them break down. And when he had – there was that one time, but for a different train of thought – they would always bat away his help and put their masks back on. Naruto wasn't making either move.

So, Kakashi was stuck for what to do. Hesitantly, he reached his hand up and put it on Naruto's head, ruffling the blonde locks slowly. Naruto's big blue eyes, which had lost so much of the innocence over the past five years, were brimming full of his forgotten twelve-year-old self.

"Ma, ma," he told the boy. "Don't worry. These things have a habit of working themselves out in the end."

Naruto just glared at him. He _knew_ that these things only worked out in movies. He doubted they would work out in real life.

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_All right everyone, there's chapter two. You got to see a bit into the past of Naruto and Sasuke and the entire reasoning for the title. I would do a review answer session but I'm lazy and I don't feel like doing it right now, so I won't MWA HAA HAA. Anyways, yeah, you all will be able to see Sasuke in Chapter 3, so don't worry about him. Originally, this was supposed to be part of chapter one, but I didn't feel like it. Also it didn't fit the poem that the titles make together. So if you read the titles of the chapters, you'll get a special work of mine that's written only for this fic. In fact, it was written especially for this fic. _

_Love you all_


	3. Do What You Think Is Right

_Hi! It's Kyuubi-kun here. I want to thank all of you for your support. I mean… 67 reviews in pretty much three days is a lot for me and it makes me feel really happy and special. _

_All right, I WILL be answering reviews at the end of this chapter, so just stay tuned to that and you'll find it! Um… oh yeah, I'm introducing 'my' Sasuke. He's different… and yet the same… as in the manga. I don't know. I never thought I was good at characterizations. _

_Anyways, enjoy! _

**The Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 03: Do What You Think is Right  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

In another part of the Fire Country, one shinobi looked in the distance, standing at the top of a tree. He was tall, with pale skin and dark eyes that flashed red whenever anger got the better of him. His spiky hair was in the same style that it had been years ago – when he had been a member of the shinobi of Konohagakure.

He knew that there was no way for him to return to _that_ place any longer. After all – he had left that life behind. He had dropped everything for power.

Silently, he wondered if he regretted those times, even now. Even after five years, Uchiha Sasuke was not completely sure of his loyalties. He made it seem as though he were completely loyal to Orochimaru, but was he? Was he really as loyal as he made it seem?

Did he still harbor feelings for that village in the distance? Did he still feel as though he loved a certain blonde that he knew was still there?

Sasuke wasn't sure. He didn't know if there was anything he could do in the coming weeks or monthsto stop the fight that was bound to happen. He had been ordered by Orochimaru to prepare for battle, as the snake wanted to attack his homeland.

Yes, Konoha had been where he was born – had been where he was raised. In a way, Konoha had been the place he had died.

After finding someone who loved him, he had left. He knew why he had done so.

But did Naruto know why? Did Naruto think that he had played with the boy's emotions? Did Naruto hate him?

A stirring occurred deep in the brunette's chest. He smiled softly at the stars.

_So you think that the mere thought of him will bring back this heart long ago lost, do you, Stars?_ He called silently to the heavens above him. The stars did not answer him with words, but he felt the wind sweep across the treetops, brushing across his face. He felt the forlorn emotion that that breeze carried.

And something told him that that emotion came from Naruto.

Naruto didn't hate him, did he? The blonde could never truly hate someone, Sasuke knew. Sasuke should have been the first person Naruto hated, but he knew that in order to hate someone you loved, you had to be stupid or truly weak.

After all, he had felt such emotions long ago.

And he knew that he was weak. That's why he was here, under the tutelage of Orochimaru. He was weak. Orochimaru didn't help him get stronger. Sasuke knew this. However, it had never occurred to him to return to the place where his love lay.

He would never return there – never to that time when they were friends, or when they had confessed their love.

He could not go back there.

He was not welcome there. And even if he was, he would not return.

After all, how could you return to a place that you once destroyed? It went against all of the laws of reality. Even if he chose to believe in Naruto's love for him, he could not go back.

Sasuke was not ready to step into an illusion where he could live in happiness. He knew he was weak because of it, but he no longer cared for such emotions. He hoped that Naruto was not going to be in the village when he and Orochimaru's armies attacked.

The boy would not be safe.

Sasuke would never let any harm befall the blonde willingly.

So much had changed, though – so much.

He knew that he still loved Naruto – but did the Uzumaki still love him? It was a never ending cyclone of thoughts that had taken over him for five years.

Five long years… since he had told Naruto "I love you" and then disappeared two days later.

He was weak.

He knew that.

But there was nothing he could do to fix it.

He wasn't a hero, he was a coward. He was a failure to the Uchiha name, to the Konoha name, and to Orochimaru's name. He could give no help to anyone.

He knew that.

He knew many things – he knew that he was a failure. He knew that if he should ever return to Konoha, he would not be accepted. He knew that Naruto could not love him any longer.

Sasuke still loved Naruto, though. The thought of Naruto was the only thing that kept him alive in these dismal days. The thought of a rivalry, a friendship and a love that he had left behind for power.

There was no way that the Uchiha could return to Konoha. He had left that place in his memories… left it in a time where everything was perfect.

Why did he leave?

The question had plagued him for many years, but Sasuke already knew the answer to such a thing. He had left to protect Naruto. He hadn'trealized that by choosing _that day_ to confess to Naruto, he would leave the boy in a bad state. It was all supposed to end after that fight on the hospital rooftop. Yet it didn't end. Kakashi had told him that soon after the fight.

_Wire wound itself around the tree that Sasuke was sitting in. Before he could move, he was tied to the trunk, unable to get anywhere. Looking in front of him, he saw his teacher, Kakashi standing there, holding one end of the wire in his hand. _

_"What's the meaning of this?" Sasuke growled, still struggling fruitlessly against the wires. They weren't cutting into his skin… yet… but that would probably be fixed soon. _

_Kakashi just stared down at him with that bored look in his eyes. "If I didn't do this, you'd run away," he told Sasuke. "You aren't the type to listen quietly while I preach."_

_"Tch," Sasuke spat out, refusing to bother acknowledging the man. _

_"Sasuke… quit seeking revenge," his teacher began. Sasuke glared at Kakashi with the coldest look he could muster. Kakashi seemed unfazed by it. "In this line of work… I've seen just how bad guys like you can get. In the end, those who tasted revenge were not satisfied… It ended in tragedy. You'll only hurt and suffer more. Even if you are successful in your revenge, all you'll be left with is emptiness."_

_Sasuke had lost it when he had heard Kakashi speak. "What the hell do you know?" he screamed. "Don't talk to me like you understand!"_

_"Hey… calm down..." Kakashi was trying to tell him. He ignored his teacher. _

_A cruel smirk came to Sasuke's lips. "What if I were to… kill the one you love most?!" he sneered. "How far would you stray from what you just said? I can make you feel true pain!"_

_Kakashi was silent for a moment before he answered. "That would work, however… unfortunately for me, no such person exists," he began. Sasuke could feel the rage boiling up even more in his blood as he stared at his teacher._

_But Kakashi was not finished. He smiled at Sasuke with that strangely calming and happy smile that Sasuke knew all too well as he spoke. "Those people have already been killed," were the words that left Kakashi's lips. _

_Sasuke could only stare at his teacher. _

Shaking his head, Sasuke still wondered how the people back home were doing. Was Kakashi still smiling like that? That smile… Sasuke could remember how that smile always used to infuriate him. It always angered him to see that smile.

That one time, when Kakashi was talking to him had been the only time he had not felt anger at seeing that smile. Kakashi knew what it felt like to have his friends killed – knew what it felt like to lose his family, but yet he still knew how to smile!

_How can he be so strong_? Sasuke wondered to himself. _How can Kakashi be able to smile like that when saying something like that?_ That fact had always bothered him. That innocent and kindsmile.

Another person that Sasuke knew had that smile – the smile that told everyone that nothing was going to get him down, that nothing was going to hold him back from his dreams.

Uzumaki Naruto had a smile like that. How could he have given up people like that? Sasuke was no longer sure. They had… they had formed who he was, had become close enough to him for him to love them more than life itself. Naruto had earned the spot as his best friend.

Sasuke could still remember the day when he had walked away from that friendship. The words echoed in his head as he stared towards Konoha, where that boy was.

_((Kyuubi-kun: I am very sorry for putting a note right here. I tried so many other possibilities, but they didn't work. Now, listen closely. The next section is words from the manga. I didn't want to write actions, as I felt that words were enough. So here, this is kind of like an explanation for the formatting here. If it is a memory, then it will be in parentheses. These will be the different voices for each person. Their name is in the format that their words will be in. **Uchiha Sasuke**. Uzumaki Naruto))_

_"Became your friend? Then why?"  
__**"That is why…"  
**__"…?"  
__"**That is why it is worth killing you…"  
**__"I don't quite get it but you seem serious about killing me, don't you? Sasuke…"  
__**"I said this before, but even you were waiting very anxiously for this, right? Neither Kakashi nor Sakura are here right now. There won't be anyone to stop things like last time."  
**__"..."  
__"**I'll say it once more… I will kill you!"**_

_"… Bastard! I'll… BEAT YOU BACK TO YOUR OLD SELF!"  
__Still… there's no doubt about it… you're serious…Seriously… can you… can you kill me so calmly? Sasuke… In his head now, he seriously plans to kill me… Really… Really, seriously…  
__**"Do you know, Naruto… that is both you and your opponent are first-class ninjas, you can only read inside each other's minds when your fists me? There is no need for words. You're naïve, aren't you, Naruto?"  
**__"How…?"  
__**"Can you read the true mind? My mind!"**_

_... Sasuke… I always knew you were a loner… I… in the beginning I was relieved because I thought you were the same as me… In fact, I wanted to talk to you straight away… Besides, I was glad.  
__But… you didn't speak. You could do everything. Also, you always had everyone…  
__Because we were too different… regrettably; I decided you would be my rival. I didn't want to lose… because I was called a loser. I thought that all the time. Even when we became Team Seven, I thought the same… I stubbornly continued to lie… but…  
__I always wanted to be like you. I aspired to be like you… because of that… That time… I was truly glad. You acknowledged me. Since those were the first words…but our fists didn't have to meet for me to understand. From that time, we haven't spoken.  
__We…  
__How are we friends?  
__But… if you seriously want to kill me… even if those words from before were serious… I don't understand… maybe I thought I was your only willing friend…  
__**"It's too late now!! Naruto!"  
**__After all… maybe I was the only one who thought we were friends… because of that… I… I will not give up… Sasuke…  
__But… I'm not sick…  
__For some reason, I don't understand him, but… I won't let Orochimaru… take you…  
__**"You prevented me from hitting your heart at the last second… but that was pointless… I've impaled your right lung."  
**_**_"You cannot use your right arm now. It is even difficult to breathe. You cannot make seals or use that jutsu."_**

_"Sasuke!__ You won't go to Orochimaru! Even if I have to break the bones in your arms and legs, I will stop you!"  
__**Th****… this is Naruto? What is this pressure? What the hell is that crimson chakra anyway? Is he… a monster?  
**_**_"What the hell… are you?"  
_**_"A friend."_

_"Wake up, already! If you're still not sure, I'll break you like a stick and bring you back immobile!"  
__**"Shut the hell up… what do you know about me? Someone like you without family or siblings…YOU HAD NOTHING IN THE **_**_FIRST PLACE_****_! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT ME? HUH?!"  
_**_"…!"  
_**_"We suffer because of our bonds! You don't know how it feels to lose them.. you…!"  
_**_"I don't understand about real families and brothers… but, when I'm with Iruka-sensei, I wonder… I wonder… if it feels like being with a father…"  
__**"….."  
**__"When I'm with you…"  
__("Dumbass! Dumbass!  
__**"What did you say? You numb nut!"  
**__"I ain't going to lose to you, dammit!"  
__**"Keep talking…"  
**__"Haha, look at that!"  
__**"Hmph."**)  
__"I wonder… if it's like being with a brother…"  
__**"Why… why do you go this far for me?"  
**__"For me… it's one of the first bonds I've ever had. That's why I must stop you…"  
_**_"Come… Naruto. Then… I will break that bond!  
_**_And the fight dragged on…_

_((Kyuubi-kun: Just as a note… we're back to the normal format. That was just for this memory. Gah… that memory is an abridged version of the text in chapters 226 to 228. Damn… that took a long time to type. And then, of course, I had to edit all the unnecessary parts because even I got mad with it.))_

Sasuke sighed as he stared across the great expanse that lay before him.It was like ablanket sewn with trees, mountains, lakes and fog. This was a place that he had not felt around him for many, many years. He had been in the Village of Sound until now. For five long years, he had been there.

The only reason that Orochimaru had not taken over his body was because Sasuke would not give it to him until he had sought revenge on Itachi.

Revenge. The words of his esteemed pervert of a teacher came back to him once more.

"_Even if you are successful in your revenge, all you'll be left with is emptiness."_

_Maybe you are right, Kakashi-sensei,_ he thought to himself, _but I am too far gone to even have hope any other path. The moment I complete my life's goal, I will be killed, and my body is Orochimaru's. _

Naruto had tried his hardest to stop Sasuke, that Sasuke knew – but he had not been prepared with the Sasuke that he had met that day.

Naruto…

Even just thinking about the name brought a sharp pain to Sasuke's heart – especially after recalling the words of their final conversation – their final fight.

He was cruel. He wanted to break off Naruto's hope of ever following him… but from Sound spies placed within the Hidden Village of the Leaf, that was not so.

Nothing was as it was supposed to be.

Naruto was supposed to forget about him completely.

Naruto was supposed to hate him.

But according to those spies that had infiltrated the Leaf and managed to gain trust within the villagers, that was not so.

According to them, Uzumaki Naruto had traveled quickly through the ranks, under the tutelage of Jiraiya – another of the sannin, much like Orochimaru.

According to them, Uzumaki Naruto had devoted the remainder of his life to finding Sasuke.

According to them, Uzumaki Naruto didn't care anymore for the ideals that he had once believed in so diligently. He only cared to find Sasuke and bring the Uchiha home.

_Why, Naruto? _Sasuke thought, feeling the pinprick of tears in the corner of his eyes. He hardened his eyes, not allowing them to fall, cascading softly down his frozen cheeks. He would not let himself show weakness.

It didn't matter that _he_ knew he was weak. Appearances can be deceiving and he had to keep up the appearance that he was strong.

_Naruto…_

The blonde was the Uchiha's last thought before Sasuke turned and marched quickly back to camp, where he would be going over battle strategies and the like. He probably would not sleep again tonight.

Even since leaving Konoha, Sasuke hadn't gotten much sleep. It didn't really matter to him, though. He didn't want that sleep – not if it would bring him visions of what could have been.

Shaking slightly, the Uchiha recomposed himself and set his mind once again on the upcoming battle. Anything besides that would be too painful to think about.

_Preview for _**Chapter Four: Don't Let Your Horizon Sink Out of Sight**

_"Don't worry about me, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto assured the jounin. "Pretty soon, everything will be over."_

_Kakashi felt a flash of warning go off in his head at these words. "You're not going to commit-" he began._

_Naruto waved his head, effectively cutting off the older man. "Nothing like that, Kakashi," he said. Looking towards the skies, his voice gained a wistful tone. "Sasuke's coming home soon. I don't know if it will be a grand finale for us or a new beginning. Nobody knows, but I think I'm just happy to be able to see him one more time."_

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_All right minna-san, I decided that I would release them whenever I feel like – the chapters I mean. This entire One-Week promise thing I can't do. Believe me – this isn't the first time I've tried it. I tried it with Smile, Empty Soul all those months ago… guess what happened? 13 chapters were released within two days. However, I'm not going to make it that snappy either. Maybe I'm mean, but I want to give some time for me to breathe and for all of you to review. _

_Speaking of reviews, here are my responses to EVERY LAST FUCKING review that I received by __4:33 PM__ on __Friday, December 10, 2004_

_cheesboi__: I'm sorry that your jealous. I didn't start out this way as a writer. You should see some of my earlier works. Their boring, and really stupid. I mean – well, the plot is interesting but back then I felt like it was monotone. This is my eight year of writing seriously. I'm sorry I made you almost cry. I didn't mean to! Well… maybe I did… but I had to have a reason for my title and that was the one that popped out. Hope you like Chapter Three. It's not my favorite, but I like getting into Sasuke's head._

_Pandora's Fallen: Makes their relationship seem more intimate? Hmm… that's strange. Who knows… maybe I'll write a one-shot later on about how their relationship broke, right after Sasuke stopped smiling. It won't fit into this fic, sadly enough. I would love to make it longer, but then I would get off track and I don't want to do that. I had to choose out of several memory ideas which ones would be most effective. Originally, this story was going to be a one-shot, but then it came out to 29-30 pages and I was like… NOPE! No one-shot can be more than 20 pages. At least for me… and this one kept switching around too much so it wouldn't make sense as a one-shot. I'm babbling. Gomen._

_Sasuke's Everything: Aww… see… I'm not completely out of the closet yet and I'm one of the most feared students at my school. I hope you don't have to deal with that much longer. I wish I could be there to help you, but… I'm not. I go to a co-ed high school, so the worst that happens to me is the voices. Nobody approaches me but I can still hear them whispering behind their hands. It sucks, but it's life. You have to keep on living, no matter what life throws at you – you've gotta be there to give it the finger and say "I'm not gonna fall." At least, repeating that mantra in my head has helped me throughout my life. _

_Elly__ Stormrage: Yeah… I really didn't like writing the part where Naruto calls himself Monster, but I had to keep them in character. He had just been kicked out of his own house because his caretaker had screamed at him and called him monster and tried to kill him. Nobody looks out for him, except for Sasuke in this fic, and so I needed him to reflect that. He hadn't learned the strength of a smile. And then Sasuke taught him. It's ironic, considering that the most stoic of children is responsible for making the blonde dobe named Naruto. I love Chibi-Sasuke, whenever I see him in the manga. He's just so cute! You have to love him! _

_Gezutaru__: Yeah, I found something that made me happy. I'm happy for that little fact – its kept me going throughout all the tough times. I'm happy living in the moment. Normally, insults and things wash away like water for me, but this one stayed. I suppose it was because SHE SAID ON MY GODDAMN ANNIVERSARY!! It was my one-month with my girlfriend, and so that pissed me off. I mean, anniversaries are supposed to be special, neh? Anyway, it happened months ago – October 14th… I don't know why it still bugs me. Just gotta hold on, be strong and smile at the world – then nothing bad can happen, because by smiling, I'll willingly admit that I'm a fool – and a fool is too foolish to know when the tides turn against him/her._

_ChibiNekoSakura__: I always felt that there had to be a lot more behind the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto because of the rivalry they share. It seems to be for their entire lives, and not just their school lives. I don't know, I wouldn't know. I've only had a rival once and that was for soccer and school. I didn't hate him at the beginning. In fact, I still don't hate him – its just more like a really twisted friendship but whatever. Meh, that was in middle school. Funny how reviews take one down memory lane all too often. I'm a senior in high school… jeez, I feel old._

_Ookami__ Fuu: Thank you for calling my work good. It's fun stuff, neh? Anyways… here's the next chapter._

_Hatake Kiyone: I'm a great writer? Nah. I'm just a person who puts writing on paper. I move the pen – it's the characters that keep the story interesting. _

_Night-Owl123: I did, didn't I? Only two days! WHEE!_

_JapanAnimeGirl__: I actually have no idea why reading the second chapter makes you sad. Yeah, I meant for that scene to be cute, but in an angsty sort of way. I'm surprised by the results it has. I love that scene… maybe I should marry it… oh wait, I can't marry words, can I?_

_ghostninja85: WHOO! I made Ghost-san smile with my magic in smiles. Heeheee… don't ask, I really don't know why that makes me so happy. I don't care either. Smiles are a good sign, though. They make others smile and then… and then smiling means your having fun, right?_

_KageKitsune16: The unfortunate part of love is that it isn't all dreams and fairy tales. Most of love is betrayal and pain – it's only after a lot of broken hearts that one finds yourself living in a fairy tale. But that just makes the fairy tale more magical and more meaningful. In order to truly love someone, one has to know what its like to lose. It makes the entire thing that much better. _

_aNiMePeRfEcT__Awww… I'm sorry! I made you cry! WAAH! I didn't mean to! I swear! Well, once you've joined a terrifying organization – going back to the way things once were isn't as easy as it sounds. It's full of obstacles – the first being yourself. The last being the place you left. In the middle, you have to find an escape route and follow it so that it works. If it doesn't, chances are you'll die. _

_Yum: I'm glad you think so. Here's an update just for all my reviewers – which included you!_

_Blue-Eclipse: I'm not almighty. I'm not even close. And yes, you may write down the poem. I'll put the entire eight lines at the end of the eighth chapter so that people don't have to remember all the titles of the chapter. This isn't a masterpiece – this is just a story. A story isn't meant to go on display, like a masterpiece is – a story is meant to be handed down to the next generation until the pages are old and worn and the cover is ripped and broken. Many people feel sorry for books like that. I don't. To see a book broken by age and love isn't a sad book – it's a book that's lived a long and happy life, always providing something to the children of the house and always providing love for everyone who reads it. Always making someone think. Masterpieces are made with oils and canvas – stories are made with emotions and ink. _

_WaterBookLover__: All will be revealed soon enough! Don't worry! Um… yeah… um… I don't think Sasuke is evil. Extremely misguided, perhaps but he has yet to cross over into the Evil territory. _

_Itoshii__-chan: Holy shit, that's a long review – NO I'M NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT IT! I love long reviews just as I love short ones. I love all reviews. Butterflies in your stomach, eh? It's been a long time since I've felt that. Whee, I have a bodyguard. That makes me really happy. Um.. yeah, I write everything that I show (except for one of the poems in IBB, its my friend's. But only one of them!) I'm not someone who steals an author's work and put it under my own name, though I do know people who do that. Hell, I give them the work. I'm not a very confident person, as you can probably tell. The beginning is a place that everyone wishes to be, but I don't think that anyone can go there. The beginning is in the past, as it is the future. Even if it was right now, then maybe everything would be okay – but then again, maybe it wouldn't. I don't know. It's always a path that one must walk upon – a path that crosses with others as it spans into a brand new horizon. It is a path I walk upon proudly. It is a path that crosses with the paths of my friends and a lot of other people. I read the Robert Frost poem you mentioned and I love it. It's true, too. Kind of strange, neh? Oh well, I'm rambling, so I'll move to the next person. _

_Joce__: LOL! That poem made me laugh! Thank you so much for reviewing like that. And yeah… laziness… not only addictive, but very very contagious. I hope you like this chapter as well. I had to rewrite it a few times because I was dissatisfied with how I was portraying Sasuke. I hope I did good. _

_ShadowGoddessInc__: Thank you for reviewing and here's the update that you mentioned. I hope two days isn't too long. _

_Vin__: lmao. Typos are a wonderful thing yet few enjoy them to their fullest extent. Here's that update. Hope you like. _

_Anukis__-san: It's mostly "fancy" like that because I didn't know what to name the chapters and I didn't want it to just be "Chapter One" etc. I like chapter titles. _

_ILLK: LOL! Maybe you should. As always, it's a pleasure reading your reviews and I hope you submit more. Y'know – I'm greedy for praise like that… well, not really, but it does help. _

_kurisutaru39: I'm sorry for making you cry. Whoa… that's kind of special, though… crying with Naruto. So, be proud of that! AND SMILE! That's the point of this fic, dunno really what the point of this fic is anymore, but that's not the point! The point is that I think that there may be a magic spell in smiles, after all. _

_Ann: Was the sigh at the end of the first line a good sigh or a bad sigh? Ah well, whatever, here's the next chapter. _

_Danya2: Here's the update – I can ignore it if I really try, all the words and whispers. But the thing is – I don't want to ignore it. If I ignore it, then it doesn't exist. If it doesn't exist, then why am I ignoring it? I suppose I think to much on such matters, but oh well. Thanks for the support! _

_Sonic16: Naruto and Sasuke aren't going to meet up for a while, I can assure you. At least… I don't think it's for a while. I don't know really. I can't really remember, if you know what I mean?_

_Thanks to everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!_


	4. Don't Let Your Horizon Sink Out of Sight

_Here's the fourth chapter, hurriedly written becuase I wanted to get onto new parts and yeah, I hope you like it. I didn't like it that much. I was surprised at the response that I got for chapter three, especially in this short span of time. Anyways, I decided that as a reward, I would update. Um... I'm not doing reply reviews, but I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. _

_This chapter is dedicated to **Itoshii-chan, truebluefightingwolf, ghostninja85,** and **kurisataru. **_

_Other people I would like to mention a huge thanks to are... Kin Uchiha, Elly Stormrage, Yum, aNiMePeRfEcT, Sonic16, Blue Eclipse Joce KageKitsune16, DieChan, Gezutaru, Hatake Kiyone, Ookami Fuu and cheeseboi. Thank you all for your reviews. _

_Enjoy the Fourth Chapter of "There's a Magic Spell in Smiles"_

**The Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 04: Don't let your Horizon sink outta Sight  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

Kakashi looked down at the blonde student in front of him. Naruto had recomposed himself what seemed like ages ago, but neither had moved from their positions. Naruto was still curled up in front of that tree. Kakashi was still crouched in front of the Anbu captain, gently ruffling the golden locks of the boy.

Neither knew how long they stayed like this. Naruto could only think of how comforting it was. Kakashi used to ruffle his hair whenever he had done something well. Naruto would beam, and Sakura would laugh. Sasuke would…

Naruto shook his head rapidly, tears threatening once again to fall once his mind had turned to Sauske. "Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, his voice a little raspy.

Kakashi smiled, his easy-going carefree smile that he had been robbed of for five years – and it was about that long since Naruto had called his name with the suffix attached.

"What is it, Naruto?" he wanted to know. His voice was kind, with the touch of concern to it. Naruto smiled softly to himself. It was the most genuine smile he had given in years, no matter how small it was.

"Was I stupid for thinking I could bring Sasuke back for all of these years?" Naruto inquired. He didn't look up at Kakashi, but the jounin knew exactly what those sea-blue eyes looked like.

Naruto's eyes were narrowed slightly, clouded with doubt and hesitation. He wouldn't know if he was asking the right question. His eyes wouldn't focus on yours, but would rather focus a little bit above yours, so that he could make it seem as though he were making eye contact but he would never let you catch his eye.

"Nope," Kakashi answered without even taking a minute to think about it. "You weren't stupid at all, Naruto. It shows that you have strength."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi, a spark of hope in his eyes. "Really?" he asked. He didn't even care to wonder why Kakashi was the only person who was able to revert him back to the time which he could not escape. Not even Iruka was able to make the old Naruto come out.

Maybe it was because Kakashi hadn't left that time either – maybe it was because both of them lived for the past rather than the future.

"Really," Kakashi replied in a kind voice.

_Sasuke would sit there and smirk, calling me 'dobe' or something along those lines,_ the blonde thought to himself, finishing his earlier thought about the old times when Kakashi petted his hair. _But it was fun, when it was just the four of us. It was great. We each have such different personalities that to see us all get along like that... it was fun. _He felt a warm, fuzzy, content feeling entering his chest as he thought these words.

And Naruto smiled.

His smile was a real smile, a broad grin that seemed to beam light at any who saw it. This was the grin that Uzumaki Naruto was famous for. It was the same grin that could hardly be brought out of the blonde anymore.

"Dammit," Naruto grumbled, looking at his watch. He grinned at Kakashi as he stood up and put his mask back on. "I have Baa-chan's Anbu captain meeting to get to or else she'll demote me."

Kakashi nodded, knowing that the meeting was scheduled, even though he was only a jounin. After all, he had to know Naruto's schedule in order to effectively shadow the blonde.

"All right, I'll see you later," Kakashi said to his ex-student.

"I suppose," came the boy's reply. He turned to Kakashi and grinned. The jounin could not see the smile, but he could feel it. The waves of relief that were washing over him came from the younger version of the fox-boy that was standing in front of him, peeking out of the shell that the Uzumaki had become.

"Don't worry about me, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto assured the jounin. "Pretty soon, everything will be over."

Kakashi felt a flash of warning go off in his head at these words. "You're not going to commit-" he began.

Naruto waved his hands, effectively cutting off the older man. "Nothing like that, Kakashi," he said. Looking towards the skies, his voice gained a wistful tone. "Sasuke's coming home soon. I don't know if it will be a grand finale for us or a new beginning. Nobody knows, but I think I'm just happy to be able to see him one more time."

"One more time?" Kakashi repeated, wondering what the hidden meaning of the blonde's words were.

"I don't think I'm going to live much longer, Kakashi," Naruto told the silver-haired teacher, though he wouldn't look at the jounin. His head was titled towards the skies, letting the sunshine that filtered through the canopy to dance lightly upon his open face. "Don't tell anyone I said that. I've given my life to Sasuke too much. If you come to my apartment after the Anbu meeting, I'll explain to you what I mean. You'll be the only person who knows."

With that said, the boy disappeared. In his wake was a stunned teacher who could do nothing but go to his ex-student's apartment and wait for the meeting to reach a conclusion.

_Preview for _**Chapter 5: Through this Terrible Plight**

_They were a remarkable bunch. After the first Chuunin exam, the eight people before her had worked diligently so that they would be able to become what they were as of now. They were ninja – true ninja. Although they may have been unreliable and cocky in their youth, these men and women knew the joy of victory as well as the pain of defeat. They were loyal to Konoha and no other. She knew that they would give their lives to protect their home. _

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner_

_I notice that my updates are getting shorter and shorter – in time as well as content. That's just how the story split up. So yeah, this advances the plot a little bit. I would answer the reviews from Chapter 3 but I'm terribly lazy at the moment, and so therefore… yeah… not going to do that. _

_I hope you all enjoyed the ever short and ever stupid chapter four. Until next time!_


	5. Through this Terrible Plight

_Hi everyone! So I've decided that this is going to come out today. IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT THE OTHER CHAPTER CAME OUT YESTERDAY! I'm into spoiling my loved ones. AND I LOVE ALL MY REVIEWERS SO HERE'S MY SPOILS. The next chapter. _

_This chapter has very little to do with the plot. Okay, so I lied. I want to get this chapter out so that I can get the next chapter out sooner since I love the rest of the story. This chapter is only two pages long and I really hate that, but like I said before. I wrote this as a one shot and then divided it up according to the setting or when I felt like it. This was a small part of the story, which means that its important – but only to get to the next part. _

_Thanks for listening to me rant. _

_I LOVE YOU ALL! _

_Enjoy._

**The Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 05: Through this Terrible Plight  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

Naruto was the last captain of the Anbu forces to arrive at Tsunade's office. Around him were the people he knew well.

Hyuuga Neji.

Inuzuka Kiba.

Aburame Shino.

Nara Shikamaru.

Rock Lee.

Haruno Sakura.

Yamanaka Ino.

The eight of them together made up the eight Anbu captains – the most powerful shinobi of Konohagakure next to the Hokage. Each of them had their underlings, their lieutenants and their reliable team members. Most Anbu were close to their captains and teams. Naruto's team was different from most. He was only known by Tsunade and Kakashi.

Ironic. When starting as a genin, Naruto was the one that understood the lesson of being part of a team the most. Now he refused to let anyone close to him. Not even those he had once called friends.

Shaking his head, Naruto stared at Tsunade through the holes in his mask.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" the Hokage snarled. "Take that damn mask off, _now_."

Naruto glared at her, even though she couldn't see it. He refused to take off the shield of the fox in front of anyone other than Kakashi and Tsunade. He wasn't about to change that.

"No," he told her bluntly and defiantly. The other Anbu were silently wondering how the Hokage would handle the blonde's blatant defiance and disrespect. After all, this was the first time that any of them had seen Naruto for at least a year. Many were wondering why they had never seen their old friend around for so many months.

Tsunade sighed, knowing that no matter how much she ordered Naruto to take off the mask, he wouldn't. Might as well save herself a headache and just allow him to wear the stupid thing.

"Fine," she said aloud after a moment of tense silence. "We don't have much time for this and I am not going to waste it on you, so let's get down to business."

The Anbu all listened closely to the words that were to follow. There was something in the atmosphere of the room that told them that this news would be important, whatever it was. Slowly, the Hokage took her seat, staring around at the eight people that she knew she could trust above all else.

"As some of you may very well know," Tsunade began, "Sound has been active as of late. For five years, they have worked to make an army large enough to stand against Konoha. New reports tell us that that army is completed and ready for battle. You all, as Anbu captains, will be the last defense of Konoha. I want you and your teams to be ready for the attack, whenever it should come." She sighed, looking around at the teenagers gathered before her.

They were a remarkable bunch. After the first Chuunin exam, the eight people before her had worked diligently so that they would be able to become what they were as of now. They were ninja – true ninja. Although they may have been unreliable and cocky in their youth, these men and women knew the joy of victory as well as the pain of defeat. They were loyal to Konoha and no other. She knew that they would give their lives to protect their home.

"Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked. Tsunade turned to the pink-haired kunoichi. Even since Sasuke's betrayal, Sakura had dedicated herself to the path of the ninja.

"Yes, Haruno-san?" Tsunade replied.

"When are Orochimaru's forces predicted to be here?" was the Anbu's inquiry.

"Within two months," the Hokage explained.

There was a collective gasp that shot through the room when the Anbu's leader had uttered those words.

All of the sudden, the Kitsune-masked boy laughed. It made Sakura wince to hear the sound. That wasn't the Naruto she knew. The laugh was too cold and fearsome to be the blonde more she had known five years ago.

"Do you have something to say, brat?" Tsunade asked, clearly annoyed.

Naruto nodded, composing himself. "If Uchiha Sasuke is with that army, do not confront him," Naruto ordered harshly to the other captains, all traces of the former chuckle gone. Everyone present felt a chill run through them at the merciless tone of the blonde's voice. "That bastard is mine. I will not hesitate to kill any who get in my way." He glanced at his colleagues through his mask. "Warn your teams and the other shinobi. I will _not_ show any mercy if you should get in my way."

There was a tense silence after those words were spoken. No one knew what to say. They didn't know if they should challenge the blonde on that particular statement or not. Instead, the other captains waited to see what Tsunade's decision would be.

Clearing her throat, the Hokage drew attention of those in the room back to herself.

In a tired voice, Tsunade spoke. "Well, you all heard him. Good luck – and don't get yourselves killed. Konoha needs all of you to survive." She paused, allowing a slight smirk to grace her features. "Dismissed."

A second later, all the captains of her various Anbu squads had vanished.

_Preview of _**Chapter Six: We'll Always Search for the Light**

_Naruto wondered if it was okay to tell someone his secret – the thing that he had kept from people for nearly fifteen months. Well, everything comes back to bite him in the ass, or so it seemed. Might as well live his ninja way – run down a straight path where he wasn't going to forget anything. _

_Maybe after the fight with Sasuke that was coming up, Naruto would be able to remember what the magic spell in smiles was. Maybe he would be able to cast such a spell like he used to. _

_Everything depended on the future. _

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well, there you have it folks… the next chapter in this saga and the preview for the next one. I hope you enjoy this one, even though it was really boring for me to write. Seriously… it gave me headaches just thinking about how I had to finish this part. Throughout the entirety of writing this fanfic, I knew what the ending was, and I knew how I wanted to write it. However, this… this is merely transition to get TO the ending. _

_In otherwords, it's a complete horsecart of bullshit_

_However, the answers to all your questions are coming up in the next chapters. Hope I'll see you there for them! _

_Thanks for reading!_


	6. We'll Always Search for the Light

_Since I'm bored and I love getting reviews a lot… and I want my readers to know what the hell is going on with my characters, I decided to update yet again! MWA HAA HAA! I feel so… generous, but then again, I think this is another cliffhanger. Since I got so many bloody reviews, I'm only going to thank a few people personally. Not that I don't love you all, its just that… it would hinder my coming out with this chapter, so I have to do it like this. :P_

_First off, I'd like to thank **ghostninja85** because s/he's been an avid reviewer of all my fics. The same goes for **NightOwl123**. I want to thank **Itoshii****-chan** for their long reviews, which are always a pleasure to read. And I would like to thank **tracy****-kin** because of their sexual energy comment. It had me giggling for a while. _

_Not that I'm not thanking the rest of you. I love all of you, and don't feel bad if your not personally thanked. I don't mean to play favorites… honestly! It's just… yeah… bah, its too troublesome explaining what goes on in my mind. I'd probably confuse everyone anyway. I don't even know what's going on in my head. _

**The Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 06: We'll Always Search for the Light  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

Kakashi was bored. There was no other way to describe the current mental state of the silver-haired jounin. He was bored and there was nothing interesting in Naruto's apartment. Sighing to himself, he pulled out the newest volume of his perverted books and began to read.

Not five minutes after he had done so, the front door slammed open. Naruto walked in, ripping his mask from his face. He smirked when he saw Kakashi.

Kakashi immediately put away the book, staring at the blonde with his only eye.

"Tch, Kakashi, I'm going to take a shower," Naruto murmured. "Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge until I get out."

Kakashi pouted. Ever since he had seen Naruto break down only a few hours before, he felt as though everything was as it once was. "You mean I can't peek on you in the shower?" he asked with a pouty look in his eye.

Naruto whirled, his face beet red. "PERVERT!!" he screamed before running into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

Kakashi grinned. "I hope he realized I was only joking."

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto reappeared. He was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, with a towel around his neck. Occasionally, he rubbed his hair, trying to dry the long spikes with the already wet towel. His plan wasn't working well, but it wasn't from lack of trying.

"All right, Kakashi, have you raided my food storage?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Everything was okay now. He didn't know why he felt that way. Things that were going to happen he could only meet if they came. It wasn't him running off and wasting his life chasing after a dream anymore.

He would be able to see Sasuke again. Finally, after all these years, he was able to see the person he cared about the most.

"No… wasn't hungry," Kakashi told the boy. Naruto shook his head as he went to get a drink for the both of them. Kakashi only had manners when he felt that the situation called for it. Although the jounin had never seen the situation call for it in the Uzumaki's apartment, he was still making it so today.

"Here, drink," Naruto said, handing a glass full of juice to Kakashi. Kakashi grinned when he recognized his favorite drink.

Naruto sat on the couch that was next to the chair that Kakashi had been lounging on. Naruto sipped his glass, his blue eyes never moving from his sensei. He knew that Kakashi must be brimming with curiosity about what the blonde had called him out here for.

Naruto wondered if it was okay to tell someone his secret – the thing that he had kept from people for nearly fifteen months. Well, everything comes back to bite him in the ass, or so it seemed. Might as well live his ninja way – run down a straight path where he wasn't going to forget anything.

Maybe after the fight with Sasuke that was coming up, Naruto would be able to remember what the magic spell in smiles was. Maybe he would be able to cast such a spell like he used to.

Everything depended on the future.

However, Naruto knew that even if he won, there was a large chance of him dying anyway. Therefore he had to die with no regrets – if he didn't… well, that would be a story that would never be told because Naruto meant for it never to happen.

He already knew that he was going to do.

"So, uh, what did you mean earlier?" Kakashi finally asked, breaking into the tense silence that had descended on the room and snapping Naruto out of his reverie.

Naruto stared at him, as though trying to piece together reality again, having been lost in his imagination.

"Huh?" was the first thing out of the lips of the blonde shinobi.

Kakashi chuckled. "You said that you were not going to live for very much longer, yet it wouldn't be suicide."

Naruto let a small smile grace his lips. "Oh, that," he responded before sighing and taking a sip of his drink. "It's a long story, but I'll give you the general gist of what happened."

Kakashi nodded, sipping his drink (through his mask or something of that nature. Naruto never bothered to care much any more). The jounin stayed silent, waiting patiently for Naruto to continue.

"I guess it all started fifteen months ago," Naruto began, his mind drifting off. "I was off looking for Sasuke, like normal. I think it was about my fifth or sixth time leaving Konoha to find the asshole, but I realized that I didn't have as much control over my chakra or the Kyuubi's. It's steadily gotten worse."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "Why haven't you told anyone about this, then?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged, gulping down the rest of his drink. "What's the point?" Naruto asked. "There's nothing that anyone can do about it. It's not that Kyuubi's going to break free or go on a rampage or anything like that. He's in my head – more than ever. I don't know if I can keep being me anymore. Two souls can't coexist in one body. Therefore one of us will ultimately disappear. But since Kyuubi cannot actually break free of Yondaime's seal, that leaves us stuck in a stalemate. Eventually, everyone dies though, so I don't worry about it."

"You could have had Tsunade or someone check up on it during these months," Kakashi told his former student sternly. He didn't like the idea of Naruto dying all that much. Of course he wouldn't, though, for he _was_ a surrogate father of the blonde.

"And have her freak over my health – no thank you!" Naruto exclaimed, sending Kakashi a look that plainly stated 'are-you-insane?' "I just want to be able to live the best I can in the time I'm given. They say a tiger is fiercest when he knows the end is near. Well, I know the end is near too. I may not be a tiger, but there's just some feelings that you cannot ignore. I'm going to die soon – how has yet to be seen."

"Aren't you afraid of not fulfilling your dream before dying?" Kakashi asked. "Didn't you want to be Hokage and have the entire village recognize you?"

Naruto shrugged. "That really doesn't appeal to me anymore. I'd rather just see Sasuke one more time rather than have an entire village try and pretend that the past didn't happen. At least by chasing Sasuke, I'm acknowledging that the past did happen. I'm not going to ignore what happened just because we've changed in rank. We're friends – at least to me, we are."

Kakashi looked at the boy, the same smile that always infuriated Sasuke on his lips. How could he not smile like this when Naruto said something like that?

_Preview for _**Chapter Seven: And Maybe You'll See the Might**

_Kakashi nodded slowly, feeling as though lying to the woman would be futile, as well as stupid. _

_"Why?" the Hokage persisted. "Isn't it a good thing that Naruto is acting like his old self? The villagers seem to think so."_

_Kakashi snorted. "The villagers usually think about unimportant matters."_

_"Do you?"_

_"That depends."_

_"On what?"_

_"On whether one thinks the past is unimportant."_

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well, this chapter is done, so yeah – I hope you liked it. I explained a few things that many people were asking me questions about. I hope you'll all be happy with the next chapter – Sasuke makes his appearance again. I hope to have the next chapter out by tomorrow. It just needs to go through some final editing purposes and then its done, but I want to give everyone a day to read this chapter before posting the next. _

_Thank you all for supporting _There's a Magic Spell in Smiles_ for this entire time. I hope you all have liked it. I know that this fic is one of my more enjoyable ones (in otherwords… ones that don't deal with rape) but yeah… I'm a sadistic morbid bitch, so what can I say?_


	7. And Maybe You'll See the Might

_Hey minna-san, I'm sorry for the ever decreasing Chapter lengths. I don't mean for it to happen, but moo, I've explained this before and I'm lazy. _

_Um… who am I thanking this time around? Hmmm… well let's see…_

**_Itoshii_****_-chan_**_, **ghostninja85**, **Yum**, **QianYun**, **Anukis****-san**_

_And yeah, that's about it for now. Hope you all like chapter seven. Don't worry – Chapter eight is really really long! I think… not really sure anymore heehee_

**There's a Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 07: And Maybe You'll See the Might  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

Over the next two months, Naruto did several things that made people recall the boy that had once been there in front of them. The first thing he did was remove his mask when he was off-duty. No one really knew what inspired the change in the blonde but most were glad because of it. Children laughed at Naruto's pranks and performances.

No one had realized how quiet and dull Konoha had become since Sasuke's betrayal of the Leaf until Naruto stepped back into the past. Now, with the blonde acting more like the genin that he used to be, the colors seemed brighter, among other things. Things were not the same as they had been, but they were better.

Only one person did not share the joy with the rest of Konoha. He had a theory about why the blonde was becoming his old self. If anything, seeing these things happen only worried the silver-haired jounin more.

Tsunade approached Naruto's former teacher, curious as to why the man was brooding so often lately. It didn't fit his personality very well. "Kakashi?" the Hokage asked, standing next to him. They were on the platform that looked up at the faces carved into Hokage Mountain. Looking down, one could see the entire village spread before them.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked. He knew that the woman must be here for a reason and that it must be somewhat important for her to actually seek him our instead of summoning him to her.

"You've seemed off lately," Tsunade told him bluntly. "I would just like to if anything has been troubling you." She paused, waiting to see if he would say anything, but the son of the infamous Hatake Sakumo was silent. Tsunade took this as a signal to continue. "Do your recent thoughts have anything to do with the inverted mood of Uzumaki Naruto?"

Kakashi nodded slowly, feeling as though lying to the woman would be futile, as well as stupid.

"Why?" the Hokage persisted. "Isn't it a good thing that Naruto is acting like his old self? The villagers seem to think so."

Kakashi snorted. "The villagers usually think about unimportant matters."

"Do you?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether one thinks the past is unimportant."

Tsunade felt her sympathy go to the jounin. "Do you still blame yourself for what Sasuke did?" she asked softly, as though not wanting to say the sentence.

Kakashi shook hi head. "No, but I blame myself for what happened to Naruto. Looking back, it was all so simple and clear. Why didn't I realize it until now?"

Tsunade tilted her head to the side, obviously puzzled. "What are you talking about, Kakashi?"

Instead of giving her a straight answer like most would, Kakashi sighed and stared into the distance for a moment before speaking. "My students were my family. I wanted to be there for them, always. But I didn't see what was really happening between Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke may have initially left, not for power, but because of his feelings for Naruto."

Tsunade gasped softly as realization dawned on her. "They loved each other." This was said, not as a question, but as a statement.

Kakashi nodded anyway. "One of Sasuke's ambitions was reviving his clan – which obviously cannot be done with Naruto. So he did the only thing he could think of."

"He left," Tsunade murmured, finishing Kakashi's thought train for him.

Kakashi nodded again, staring down at Naruto. The blonde could be seen playing with the children of the villagers at the playground. The boy looked so happy and carefree but Kakashi knew that that was far from true. A broad grin was on the Uzumaki's face as he wrestled with the neighborhood kids, teaching them techniques for when they went out to become shinobi.

He could still see the changing faces of Naruto in his head.

_A small boy the age of twelve, a proud grin on his face as he pulled his arms up, shifting the hitae-ite confidently.__ "I'm going to be Hokage and have everyone in the village acknowledge me!" he promised. _

_At the burial of Zabuza and Haku, a young boy looked towards the dying sun with a broad grin on his face. "I'm going to run down the straight path where I'm not going to regret anything!"_

_At the preliminaries for the Chuunin Exam, Inzuka Kiba had said something about becoming Hokage. Naruto picked himself up, smirking with a challenging glare in his eye as he wiped blood from his chin. "If you're going to compete with me for the Hokage name… I'll whip you like a dog…"_

_An adult trapped in a boy's body. Sadness and guilt entering the blue eyes that once sparkled so much. "Sasuke's gone." Barely spoken above a whisper, the boy looked pitiful as he stared at the ground, uttering those words._

_A stoic, expressionless blonde who could no longer live without a tangible mask. "Sasuke's coming home soon. I don't know if it will be a grand finale for us or a new beginning. Nobody knows, but I think I'm just happen to be able to see him one more time."_

_A teenager who had foregone the mask for the first time in his life, sipping a drink while death approached him, though he knew not when or how. All he knew was that it was nearby. "I just want to be able to live the best I can in the time I'm given. They say a tiger is fiercest when he knows the end is near. Well, I know the end is near too. I may not be a tiger, but there's just some feelings that you cannot ignore. I'm going to die soon – how has yet to be seen."_

It was a long while before either of them spoke again. When they did, it was Kakashi who was talking.

"All I want for them is a happy life," he murmured softly. The wind that brushed against them nearly stole his words away, making them lost for eternity to travel in the air, unheard. But Tsunade heard them. Kakashi turned to the Hokage and gave her a smile.

"Don't you think they deserve that, too?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade smiled and nodded, knowing that's what she felt too.

All of the sudden, a loud blast reached their ears and the sound of villagers screaming surrounded them. Both nin snapped their heads up, and finally spotted the danger. At the East gate came the Army of the Sound. Uchiha Sasuke, wearing the forehead protector of Orochimaru's Hidden Village of the Sound led them.

* * *

_Preview of _**Chapter Eight: Of Heroes Smiling Strong and Bright**

_"It's rude to not introduce yourself when you know another's identity," Sasuke pointed out, a smirk placed on his lips. His eyes were cold, merciless. The Anbu in front of him was unfamiliar to him – yet at the same time, they were someone Sasuke knew. He didn't know how he knew that fact, and he didn't really care either. _

_Naruto grinned roguishly behind his mask. "It's against regulation to do this," he commented softly. "Especially when I'm on-duty, but I've never been one who cares about rules much."_

_He shrugged off the deep purple cloak that he wore as a symbol of his rank. Tossing it to the dusty ground, Naruto stood completely in Anbu gear, colored all black and purple. He lifted his hand up to his face and his other untied the cord that held the mask to his face. _

_The blonde slowly took the fox mask off, revealing who he was. After all, there were no other blonde-haired, blue-eyed, whisker-scarred shinobi that he knew of. He had been all over the world, so he would know if there were. _

_"Naruto…" the other murmured softly, as though disbelieving the sight before his eyes. _

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Okay, I know I said Sasuke would be in this chapter… but he was! He was mentioned! MWA HAA HAA! _

_The next chapter is the grand finale and its seven pages long, so be ready for it. I'll have it out tomorrow. Thank you all for reviewing and supporting my ego. I love you all!_


	8. Of Heroes Smiling Strong and Bright

_Wow… thank you all for the continuing support that you've given me with this fic. I wasn't sure if people would like it when I first came out with it but I'm glad that a lot of people did. In just one week, I've received so many reviews. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love you all and here's the final chapter._

**There's a Magic Spell in Smiles  
****Chapter 08: Of Heroes Smiling Strong and Bright  
**_By Kyuubi-kun_

When Naruto heard the sounds of the invasion, he automatically called for the children he had been playing with to follow him. Gathering up all of the villagers he saw on the way to the hidden tunnels, which had been changed since Sasuke abandoned the Leaf, he left them in the care of the ninja that were there.

"Good luck, Uzumaki-san," one of them said, and Naruto briefly recognized the shinobi as someone from his Chuunin exam – one of the people who he obviously hadn't paid attention to.

Ripping his mask out of his pocket, he tied the golden cords carefully.

"Thanks," he called as he vanished. The other nin waved after him, before leading the children inside to safety.

Naruto rushed to the front line. He knew that his team was close behind him. They had worked when he had not been helping out around the village, so even if their structure wasn't perfect, it wasn't as bad as it was when Naruto hadn't cared about his team.

Now he cared, and he was going to make sure that his team pulled through – hopefully alive. If not, then they would die fighting for a cause that none of them loved more.

They swept along the village, point people in the right directions to the caves. They tried their best to get to the battlefield, but by the time they had reached the battlefield, Sound had already poured through the gate.

Naruto looked around, dodging random shuriken and kunai. He had to find Sasuke. Sasuke had to be here.

This day – his dream – wouldn't work if his other half wasn't here.

There.

He spotted the ever-familiar black hair as he swiftly turned to kill an enemy. His kunai bit deeply into the chest of his opponent. Naruto wrenched the tool out and gave chase to the Uchiha.

This was his battle. He had trained, waited, dreamed and looked towards this moment for five long years.

It wasn't going to go to nothing right now that he had it in his grasp.

Sasuke was fast – faster than he had been before. Of course, that was to be expected. Sasuke wasn't the type of soldier to lay off training for a day, let along five years. A challenging grin spread across Naruto's face as he upped his speed, happy that he had another fight against his rival.

It would be just like old times. Except this time, Naruto had to be the victor.

If he wasn't, then who knew what would happen?

Naruto chased Sasuke throughout the village. The Uchiha wasn't letting up in speed. Naruto finally caught up to Sasuke, throwing shuriken at the man, just as they entered the playground next to the Ninja Academy. Sasuke stopped to avoid the weapons.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto screamed out. Sasuke jumped at hearing his name, turning around slowly, his Sharingan eyes flashing at whoever had dared to stop his flight to the Hokage's Tower, which was where he was assigned to attack.

"It's rude to not introduce yourself when you know another's identity," Sasuke pointed out, a smirk placed on his lips. His eyes were cold, merciless. The Anbu in front of him was unfamiliar to him – yet at the same time, they were someone Sasuke knew. He didn't know how he knew that fact, and he didn't really care either.

Naruto grinned roguishly behind his mask. "It's against regulation to do this," he commented softly. "Especially when I'm on-duty, but I've never been one who cares about rules much."

He shrugged off the deep purple cloak that he wore as a symbol of his rank. Tossing it to the dusty ground, Naruto stood completely in Anbu gear, colored all black and purple. He lifted his hand up to his face and his other untied the cord that held the mask to his face.

The blonde slowly took the fox mask off, revealing who he was. After all, there were no other blonde-haired, blue-eyed, whisker-scarred shinobi that he knew of. He had been all over the world, so he would know if there were.

"Naruto…" the other murmured softly, as though disbelieving the sight before his eyes.

Naruto tossed the mask to the side, letting it hit the ground with a soft _thud_. "Seems I didn't need to introduce myself, did I, Sasuke?" he asked with a slight uplifting of his brow. "You seem to recognize me without me saying my name."

Sasuke felt his voice catch in his throat. Here was Naruto. _Naruto_ of all people. "Why you?" he breathed out, his voice barely audible. "Why did it have to be you?"

Naruto suddenly vanished, appearing directly in front of Sasuke, making the Uchiha stumble back with disbelief. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently. "I think after what _you_ did, this is the least that _I_ deserve."

He stepped backwards. Pulling out a kunai, he lazily swirled it around his index finger. "Sasuke-kun," he told the other in a cold voice. "I suggest you prepare yourself. And please, don't take it lightly. I may still be a moron, but I want a real challenge."

Sasuke, even though he was astonished by the blonde's new attitude, still snorted at the boy's words. With a smirk that could rival the ones that his younger self used to dole out, Sasuke took out his own kunai. "At least you finally admit you're a moron, dobe," he smirked.

Knowing that being defensive in this fight would do no good, Sasuke rushed forward. Naruto had moved at the same time. They whirled in their dance, kunai's clashing together harshly and sending shivers through them. Both looked at each other, the blood red of one eye meeting the blood red of another.

Anger jolted through them both. Fueled by adrenaline, both attacked each other in fury. They both had to win – they both had something to prove.

They wanted to prove something to people who had died five years ago. They wanted to prove something to the long lost parts of themselves.

The next time that their knives smashed together, Naruto kicked out at Sasuke. Anticipating this, the Uchiha blocked the blow and grabbed onto Naruto's ankle. He swung the boy away from him. Naruto hit a nearby tree, falling to the ground. Spitting blood out of his throat, he grinned as he got back up.

_Concentrate, Naruto,_ he told himself. _Can't get anything done if you're too hyped up because you've seen Sasuke again._

He shook his head, trying to calm down. Being the hotheaded boy he was though, it wasn't exactly working. Naruto rushed in again, a smile on his lips. No fake smiles to give anymore, he only had real smiles left. He could only smile even though the chances of him dying by the hand of the one he loved the most were great.

The next time that the two separated, Naruto felt pain travel through his abdomen. This wasn't good. The seal was faltering, which meant that Kyuubi would take over his body soon. He didn't think that he would be able to come back if he let the fox take over.

The blonde had spent too much time thinking as Sasuke rushed up to him and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying. Naruto collided with the swing set, bending the supporter beam. He emitted a small cry at the pain, having long ago learned to control his voice.

"Goddammit," he cursed himself softly as he rose shakily to his feet. He quickly went through the muscles and bones to make sure nothing was broken.

_Left leg? A little slow. _

_Left arm? Good._

_Right arm? Sprained._

_Right leg? Good._

_Neck? Stiff._

_Back? Painful, but I'll live. _

_Head? _He smirked to himself. _Since when was my head _ever_ all right._

He rushed in again, making compensations for his slow muscles that were ripped or sprained. He couldn't go all out against Sasuke. He had to think. He had to understand what the older boy was thinking, and then counter whatever the Uchiha's strategy was.

Unfortunately, Naruto had never been very patient. The knives were knocked from their hands by Naruto's flick of a wrist. He didn't hesitate as he started pummeling Sasuke with his fists. Sasuke returned the beating.

Neither boy cared for defense as both knew that there was no effective way to defend themselves against the other. Instead of worrying about things like that, they put all their power into their attacks.

Blood was streaming from both boys, bruises dotted their torsos, arms and legs yet neither was willing to give up.

Pain raced through their nerves as they stood, not ten feet apart, breathing heavily. Sweat poured from every pore in their body but still, they stared at their opponent. They had long ago forgotten about the war that was going on. Naruto had chased Sasuke deep enough inside the village that the war didn't matter.

It wouldn't reach the Ninja Academy. Of that, both were sure.

So they didn't need to worry about outside forces. They just had to worry about what they were going to do when dealing with each other.

"Why?" Naruto gasped out.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, confused. "What?" he breathed, unable to get enough air in his lungs when trying to talk.

"Why did you say you loved me and then _leave_?" Naruto growled, forcing himself to stand straight. Pain laced his entire being, but he wasn't going to look weak to Sasuke.

Blood red eyes of the Kyuubi no Kitsune looked at the same crimson color of the Sharingan. Neither spoke. Even the environment was still. The sounds of the war had long since faded in their heads, and the only two people who existed in this world as of now were Sasuke and Naruto.

Sasuke couldn't bear to look at the blonde. "I left," he began, "because I loved you."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the answer. "You expect me to believe that?" he asked in a deadly snarl.

Sasuke shook his head, finally standing straight again. His muscles groaned at the effort but he ignored them. "No," he finally replied. "I don't… I… I don't know what to believe anymore. I love you. That enough is clear, I've always loved you – that I know is true. Believe it or not, it's your decision, but it's true. I… I left because we… we would never be accepted by Konoha. I… I didn't want to bring you pain… so I left."

Now, Sasuke stared at Naruto. To not look at the one he loved would be an insult to the blonde, as well as injury to himself.

Naruto shook his head. "You bastard," he managed to get out before falling to his knees.

Sasuke rushed to the blonde's side, not realizing what it was doing to his own condition. He spit a mouthful of blood out onto the sidewalk. He felt moisture running down his side as he fell to his knees next to Naruto. He looked down and saw the deep gash of a kunai. When had Naruto managed to do that? He didn't care. All that mattered was the wounded boy in front of him.

"You fucking bastard," Naruto growled, his forehead touching Sasuke's. A small smile played on the blonde's lips. "Who the fuck cares what people think anymore? I would've been able to face the stares of anyone if I had you with me."

"R-really?" Sasuke stammered, eyes widening. He moved his hand to Naruto's cheek, caressing the whisker marks there. A tiny smile, a mirror of Naruto's, twitched into existence. "You… but… I…" His voice died off and he tilted his chin forward, catching Naruto's lips with his own.

Everything was clear now. The kiss was fleeting, but it said everything that needed to be said. Naruto had tried to run his hands through Sasuke's hair, conveniently forgetting it was his arms that were supporting him.

Off balanced, both tumbled down. Naruto landed on Sasuke, clumsily and after hearing the Uchiha's hiss of pain, he rolled off. They lay there, side by side as they stared up at the skies. Neither cared for the fight anymore or the war or even whether they were going to live to see tomorrow. Neither cared for the last five years of hell that they had gone through, or how it was just one mistake of judgment that had caused those five years. Everything that had once been so important to them was left in the wake of the feelings surging around the two.

It was a long while before either of them spoke, so lost they were in this trance – this moment of the earth that none would remember but them.

"Ironic, neh?" Naruto asked softly, his voice barely recognizable because of the low, rustling tone of it.

"Hmm?" Sasuke answered, not really knowing what else to say.

"We're going to die right here… and its here where it all began," the blonde seemed strangely happy about this.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke wanted to know. Naruto was leaning over, his head touching Sasuke's shoulder. If they were sitting up, it could be said that he was leaning his head on Sasuke's shoulder, but as they were not – it merely gave the image of this.

Naruto chuckled, which ended up in him coughing up more blood. "You don't remember, do you?" he asked. "When we were little, you came over to me. You were the one who made me smile."

Sasuke didn't remember any of this at all, to tell the truth, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind: a feeling or a memory long forgotten but locked away in a treasure chest just so that it could be opened at this moment.

Suddenly, the stoic Uchiha felt something grip his hand and he knew it was Naruto's hand. He felt happy that Naruto didn't hate him. He was glad that, even as they lay here with their lifeforce abandoning them to soak into the ground, they were here together. He didn't have to die alone – and neither did Naruto.

"Naruto… do you still love me?" the Uchiha asked. It might seem out of character, but he was about to die, and so therefore he really didn't care about his reputation or what color mask he wore anymore.

He didn't care about the war that was going on less than a quarter of a mile away from them.

Sasuke only cared that Naruto was by his side.

"I never stopped," Naruto whispered back to him.

"That's good," Sasuke replied, his voice barely audible. "Because I still love you."

There was a pause, both admiring the stars that were coming out and the great lantern of a moon that hung in the sky, illuminating the landscape in a fragile silver.

Naruto shifted his head, as his neck was beginning to get stiff. When he was finished, his cerulean eyes wandered until they were facing Sasuke's chin, because Naruto no longer had the strength to sit up and look into Sasuke's eyes.

"Are you scared, Sasuke?" Naruto wondered. He knew that he was going to die – it was a stronger feeling than the one he had described to Kakashi two months before.

"No," was the Uchiha's answer.

"Why not?"

"Because I have you here with me."

"That's good."

"Why?"

"Because Sasuke said that Sasuke would always protect Naruto. When Sasuke told Naruto to smile more, Sasuke promised to protect him. Naruto loves Sasuke more than anything else," Naruto spoke up. He didn't care that he sounded like a stupid toddler when he spoke in third person. It just felt right to speak like that.

Sasuke smiled at his blonde Kitsune. He mimicked Naruto's third person-speech. "Sasuke loved Naruto more than life and death. Sasuke will always keep his promise."

There was nothing else said as they lay there, in the playground where their friendship had originated in, all those years ago. The dawn rays were just peaking over the horizon, basking the foggy air with golden lights, when within moments of each other and the Sun's waking, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke breathed their last.

The Sound Ninja, once they found out that their leader had not taken over the Hokage's Tower, fled – or those that were alive did. Luckily, Leaf did not suffer many casualties. Those that had lost their lives were given an honorable funeral.

Even Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto and Sasuke were buried side by side in the back of the playground by the Ninja Academy. Their shared grave was at the exact place where the old tire swing had been.

A year later, on the anniversary of the battle, saw Kakashi at that small grave in the back of the playground. The boundaries of the playground had been moved so that the grave could be placed here. Placing a bottle of sake, a bowl of ramen and a plate of onigiri on the grave, Kakashi stood back, reading the names carved into the stone.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto.

When Kakashi had found the two a year ago, they had lain side by side, their hands firmly clasped together. Both had been the death of the other, Kakashi could remember, but he could only feel a strange sort of peace – rather than sadness – at the thought.

After all, hadn't Naruto's dream come true?

_"Aren't you afraid of not fulfilling your dream before dying? Didn't you want to be Hokage and have the entire village recognize you?"_

_"That really doesn't appeal to me anymore. I'd rather just see Sasuke one more time rather than have an entire village try and pretend that the past didn't happen. At least by chasing Sasuke, I'm acknowledging that the past did happen. I'm not going to ignore what happened just because we've changed in rank. We're friends – at least to me, we are."_

The jounin leaned against the tree near the grave. "Hi guys," he said softly. "Hope the two of you are happy. It was hell getting around the fact that Sasuke was the one leading the Sound. After the Anbu threatened nearly half the villagers, it became like the Kyuubi and no one's supposed to mention it. However, people still talk about it. It doesn't matter, though – those who care aren't going to allow anyone to desecrate your grave. Naruto, just to warn you – Tsunade-sama's pissed because of you dying before she could pass the title of Hokage off on you. Hope she doesn't become depressed. She's actually doing pretty well. Everyone is."

The jounin heard something, so he unveiled his Sharingan, looking around wearily for intruders. All he saw were two boys sitting by a tree nearby. One looked surprisingly like a tiny Sasuke and the other was the mirror image of a tiny Naruto.

Sasuke's double was sitting against the tree when the blonde toddler ran over to him and stood in front of him. Kakashi, seeing the indefinite similarities between the late Naruto and Sasuke and the two kids in front of his eyes, thought that he might be having a hallucination. That didn't stop him, however, from tuning into their conversation.

"Hello," the Naruto-look alike said. His voice was soft, but soothing.

"Why are you talking to me?" Sasuke's double replied, a frown on his face.

The small blonde put his hand out to the Uchiha. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?" the boy asked. Kakashi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard this.

"Uchiha Sasuke, why?" the black-haired toddler said with a suspicious pout.

The blonde merely smiled at him. "Want to shake hands?" he asked.

"Why would I want to do that?" came the other's reply.

"Because… you look like you need a friend," Naruto told Sasuke truthfully, though his tone showed he was a little unsure of what he was saying. "It's a sign of trust. Kind of like a smile."

Sasuke glared at Naruto, though it looked more like a pout at the age the boy was. "Smiling isn't a sign of trust."

Naruto razzed at the other. "Wrong!" he said with a grin. "There's a magic spell in a smile."

"What kind of magic spell?" the Uchiha wanted to know, but Kakashi could see that the younger Sasuke was really happy underneath his cold exterior.

"If you smile at the world instead of frowning, it's as though nothing can make you cry."

"Are you sure?"

Naruto's smile grew. He stood there, with that smile and the outstretched hand. "Yeah," was his reply.

Slowly, the young Sasuke reached out his hand and clasped Naruto's. A smile came to his face at the angelic look on the other's face.

"See?" Naruto asked. "Hey, c'mon Sasuke! Let's go find an adventure!"

"Okay!" was Sasuke's reply.

The boys, hand-in-hand, began to walk off.

"Kakashi-sensei?" someone called, startling the Sharingan user out of his trance. The person who had approached him was none other than Sakura.

"Yo," was the jounin's reply.

"Is there anything wrong, I was calling you for a long while," Sakura told him.

Kakashi looked back to the spot where he had seen the two boys. They had vanished. Smiling at the grave, he hoped the two would be at peace at last. Turning back to Sakura he got to his feet wearily.

A broad grin, complete will a curved eye was flashed at the pink-haired girl. "No, nothing's wrong," he told her as they began to walk away.

Taking one last look at the grave, Kakashi could feel a new strength to be his old perverted self again wash over him. It was as though everything had worked out perfectly from the beginning.

Thinking of Sasuke and Naruto, Kakashi realized that everything didn't have to work out in the beginning after all and that no one was to blame for what had happened to the two.

Everything was right in the end, and that was all that mattered.

_Every night I think of you  
__Every day I want to see  
__You standing there in front of me  
__And don't you know?  
__Didn't you once say?  
__There's a magic spell in smiles  
__Follow me and I will show you  
__What you've long forgotten  
__There's a magic spell in smiles  
__Let's start our adventure together  
__No need to cry any longer  
__Never show a frown while we're here  
__Don't you know?  
__Didn't you once say?  
__There's a magic spell in smiles  
__There's a magic spell in smiles  
_- _Kyuubi-kun, Final Message_

_Kyuubi-kun's Korner!_

_Well… there's the ending. I'm sad to see it end, but I'm also happy because of how it ended. After all… even though this is an angsty fic, I needed a happy ending. Especially for those two – they deserved it. _

_I love all of my reviewers and I would give you all presents if I had the cash, but since I don't, I'll just keep you all in my heart and love you all for being reviewers. :)_

_Here's the poem that the chapters made…_

**_Whisper to the night  
_****_Something out of sight  
_****_Do what you think is right  
_****_Don't let your horizon sink out of sight  
_****_Through this terrible plight  
_****_We'll always search for the light  
_****_And maybe you'll see the might  
_****_Of heroes smiling strong and bright_**

_Not one of my best pieces, but it was a spur of the moment type of thing. _

_Here's my review responses. _

_Anukis-san: bungy jumping off Hokage mountain, neh? I would love to try that. Of couse, knowin my luck, I'd crash into Yondaime's nose... that would hurt a lot. Or maybe one of the eyes would stab me... or maybe I'd be impaled upon the spiky hair. ((shudders)) Oh well - but if you ever try it, I still wanna tag along. Whatever can't kill you, makes you stronger, right?_

_Elly Stormrage: Sorry for making you wait and cry and all. I seriously do not take responsibility for the angst. Blame the characters, they almost shot me when I told them to cut back on the angst. _

_ghostninja85: Did everything turn out well? I don't know if it did by a reader's standpoint, so you'll have to tell me. _

_QianYun: Thanks for commenting on the symbolism. I really didn't realize what I was writing. It was fun though, very fun. YAY! I deserve ego-boosting ((does a little happy dance)) I'm always up to date with the manga, but the anime I'm a little slow on. I only watch Anbu subs, so I have to wait for Anbu to release their version of an episode before viewing it. _

_cheeseboi: The tiger comparison, I must admit, was not mine. I lifted it - without asking - from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Sean Connery said it and I liked it, so I figured it fit right there. Guess I'm not as talented then, because I stole that line. _

_KageKitsune16: yeah... I felt bad for Naruto, but I figured that he needed to forego the mask. With precious little time left to live, wouldn't you just say fuck it all and be yourself, not giving a damn for those around you? I would... but then again, I do that already._

_Gezutaru: No epilogue for this fic, sorry. This is what you get - this last chapter, which I took a long time writing when making the original manuscript for this fic. It took me forever and then I hated it, so I deleted what I had for this chapter and started over again at least three times. This is the final copy. I hope you liked it. _

_Hatake Kiyone: thanks for the good luck in all I do. As long as I have loyal reviewers and my muse doesn't abandon me, I suppose that's a lot of things that I have left to do. Thanks for the review. It was greatly appreciated. _

_The Lazy Fairy: I think a bunch of your review got cut off, sorry. I don't know, though, but it didn't make sense (except for the first part) so I'll reply to the first part. Thanks for saying that my fic is greatness. It makes me feel special. _

_Sonic16: Well, hope you're gushing didn't leave you completely bloodless... or brainless, depending on what kind of gushing. Gomen, that was mean of me. I shouldn't have said it. Thanks for the review, though. _

_Blue-Eclipse: Wow... you really love me? Squee! I feel loved! LOVED! MWA HAA HAA HAAA! Moving on, thanks for the review. I hope you liked the ending. _

_Yum: yeah, I don't think nobody's dead from the yell ((takes a count of bodies)) nope... nobody's dead except for those that had already died long ago. Whoo... I almost sounded Shakespearian. MWA HAA HAA I am reading way too much Hamlet lately. It's boggled my braincells. _

_macy: here's the last chapter for you. And yes, I update frequently with this fic. Originally it was going to be once a week, but the reviews kept on coming in like santa's mail! I couldn't keep TAMSIS all to myself! It's something that I wrote in order to share with everyone. WHOO! CONFETTI! _

_tyranimo: Sorry for letting Naru-chan die. I know that you didn't want me to, but it fit the fic so much that it had to be done. I'm really really sorry but he's happy in the afterlife with Sasurin. So i suppose that's a good thing, right?_

_Itoshii-chan: I thought the fake appearance from Sasuke was hilarious, actually. It was a great time to end the chapter AND I did let Sasuke make an appearance - even though it was only in one sentence. IT'S STILL AN APPEARANCE! Yeah, I didn't bother much with anyone but Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Tsunade for this fic. The other genin (now Anbu) and sensei and villagers and what have you... they didn't matter to me for this fic. I only wanted to portray what I needed to in order to show the relationship of Sasuke and Naruto. Luckily, I only needed two characters in order to do this. Sorry for the angst - but its what I do best_

_kurisutaru39: Sadly, all good things must come to an end, but this story will still be here for people to be able to reread and such. And maybe you'll remember the lesson of the Magic Spell in Smiles - they do exist. I don't know... maybe I'm ranting right about now, but whatever. Thanks for the review. I hope you liked this finale. _

_Teki Star: Thanks for the review, albeit late. In fact, I was about to post this chapter when my hotmail account said that I got a new email from botfanfiction and so I checked it out and it was yours. Aren't you glad I checked before I posted? Anyways... I'm not entirely sure if I want to be mobbed like Sasuke... that would be... scary... especially since my personality is more along the lines of Naru-chan. And no I actually have nothing better to do with my sorry excuse for a life than to read fanfiction reviews from my readers. I'm serious! I love reading long reviews, so if you want to babble for ten and a half pages, by all means - do so. Thanks for the review, once again and I hope you enjoy the finale of There's a Magic Spell in Smiles_

_Thank you EVERYONE who has reviewed my fic since the start of it last week. I love you all. _


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